82nd ACADEMY AWARD Nominations

[Dusty]

I would also argue that Avatar is not fading. Any film that is still in the top 5 every single day and every single weekend 3 months after release is not 'fading'. It's going to come out on DVD/BR in April, and yet I would argue that they could feasibly leave it in theaters for another year and it would still bring in the cash. Maybe it's only the few 'crazies' going to see it over and over, but that can also be said for any film that anyone has seen over 100 times... those people are the 'crazies' for that film. Heck, I work for a collectibles company, Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie of all time, and I haven't even seen any of the Star Wars films more than 100 times

That said - THERE IS NO MOVIE PHENOMENA LIKE STAR WARS, and there never again will be - everything, everything, everything came together at the perfect moment for SW and was continued with brilliance. It cannot be repeated. I don't know why people keep bringing that up at all.

I will not get sucked into an argument about the minutiae of the everyone's personal definitions of 'cultural impact'

 

[BadMoon]

I would also argue that Avatar is not fading. Any film that is still in the top 5 every single day and every single weekend 3 months after release is not 'fading'. It's going to come out on DVD/BR in April, and yet I would argue that they could feasibly leave it in theaters for another year and it would still bring in the cash. Maybe it's only the few 'crazies' going to see it over and over, but that can also be said for any film that anyone has seen over 100 times... those people are the 'crazies' for that film. Heck, I work for a collectibles company, Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie of all time, and I haven't even seen any of the Star Wars films more than 100 times

That said - THERE IS NO MOVIE PHENOMENA LIKE STAR WARS, and there never again will be - everything, everything, everything came together at the perfect moment for SW and was continued with brilliance. It cannot be repeated. I don't know why people keep bringing that up at all.

I will not get sucked into an argument about the minutiae of the everyone's personal definitions of 'cultural impact'

Dusty will you at least discuss the "cultural significance" of Avatar?

 

[The Ween]

 

[barbelith]

I would also argue that Avatar is not fading. Any film that is still in the top 5 every single day and every single weekend 3 months after release is not 'fading'.

I'm not so sure the box office tells us anything other than people are still up for a few hours of blockbuster escapism in a time when there's little real competition on the marquis. The opening for Alice in Wonderland was extraordinary, and makes me think there's something else going on here.

By "fading" I'm talking about Avatar's presence in the cultural landscape. The monologue jokes have come and gone, the watercooler discussions are a thing of yesterday, normal people aren't really talking about it. There's obviously a parabola that peaked two months ago. That's a great arc if you're interested in collecting money but not so amazing for "cultural impact."

I'm reminded of NCIS, which is now one of the biggest shows on TV yet bizarrely exists in a cultural vacuum. Nobody talks about, nobody seems to actually watch it, its impact on the culture is essentially nil.

Time will tell the tale, but barring the hype bubble around a sequel I highly doubt anyone will still be talking about Avatar five years from now. Maybe the same people who still buy Matrix Revolutions figures...

 

[The Ween]

I love NCIS, and my mother is addicted to it. She watches all the reruns on USA over and over again.

 

[karamazov80]

I will not get sucked into an argument about the minutiae of the everyone's personal definitions of 'cultural impact'

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[Khev]

The monologue jokes have come and gone, the watercooler discussions are a thing of yesterday, normal people aren't really talking about it.

It must be nice to know what all those people who keep going to see Avatar week after week are thinking and talking about, as well as the rest of the world. Leno referenced Avatar in his monologue tonight, btw.

And District 9 is this year's The Matrix, not Avatar. But I'm guessing you already knew that.

 

[karamazov80]

The people I work with haven't said a peep about Avatar. But then, they're mostly the kind of people who would go see those Matthew McConaughey romantic comedies.

 

[LOTRFan]

And District 9 is this year's The Matrix, not Avatar. But I'm guessing you already knew that.

Where does this arbitrary comparison come from?

 

[316what]

I totally agree its impossible to know with Avatar. I think in the end if it has anything impact it will be with pushing maybe paying attention to our planet and taking care of it. If not that then I don't see much coming from it.

If Captain Planet couldn't accomplish this, I don't think Avatar will.

 

[The Josh]

If Captain Planet couldn't accomplish this, I don't think Avatar will.

Good Point!

 

[Khev]

Where does this arbitrary comparison come from?

They were both the critically acclaimed R-rated sci-fi sleepers of their respective years. Nothing arbitrary about that.

 

[barbelith]

It must be nice to know what all those people who keep going to see Avatar week after week are thinking and talking about, as well as the rest of the world.

Outside the context of the Academy Awards, I literally haven't heard a single person off the Internet mention Avatar since January. Now like I said, I don't really hang around nerds in real life, so maybe it's a biased sample. But surely "normal people" would be abuzz if it's the seismic cultural touchstone some people have implied? I can see you're a fan from your sig image, so I don't expect you to be able to look at it objectively.

Leno referenced Avatar in his monologue tonight, btw.

He's always been so timely and cutting edge.

And District 9 is this year's The Matrix, not Avatar.

It depends entirely on the context. I'm not talking about R sleepers as a category.

 

[EVILFACE]

District 9 was good film, but not on the level of The Matrix. The Matrix had a huge impact on the decade after it came out. I don't see that with District 9.

District 9 - 7/10
The Matrix 10/10

 

[LOTRFan]

They were both the critically acclaimed R-rated sci-fi sleepers of their respective years. Nothing arbitrary about that.

It certainly is as abitrary as sharing a rating and having positive reviews.

As far as the ongoing impact of the films themselves I don't imagine that the latest Shrek film will have any shoot-outs with the "fookin' prawns."

 

[Maglor]

District 9 was good film, but not on the level of The Matrix. The Matrix had a huge impact on the decade after it came out. I don't see that with District 9.

District 9 - 7/10
The Matrix 10/10

The Matrix is one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies of all time, hands down. And it had a huge cultural impact.

But this illustrates again that cultural impact has little to do with quality.

I haven't seen District 9 yet, but I have a hunch I wont personally like it more than the Matrix. Still, in the eyes of critics, and in the eyes of the academy (don't forget the thread topic), District 9 is the superior movie. Perhaps, it is better acted. Maybe it has that "artsy" feel.



Point is, cultural impact and whether a film is deserving of awards are 2 different issues.

 

[Valfar]

District 9 had that eighties feel to it, especially right when the credits roll at the end, it gave me that feeling most of the old rated R sci-fi movies from the eighties did.

We need more movies like that, its lack off this that made the new Terminator movies fail.

 

[EVILFACE]

I haven't seen District 9 yet, but I have a hunch I wont personally like it more than the Matrix. Still, in the eyes of critics, and in the eyes of the academy (don't forget the thread topic), District 9 is the superior movie. Perhaps, it is better acted. Maybe it has that "artsy" feel.

Only because of the now 10 nominations. If it was still 5, District 9 would not have made the cut.

 

[Dusty]

Outside the context of the Academy Awards, I literally haven't heard a single person off the Internet mention Avatar since January. Now like I said, I don't really hang around nerds in real life, so maybe it's a biased sample. But surely "normal people" would be abuzz if it's the seismic cultural touchstone some people have implied? I can see you're a fan from your sig image, so I don't expect you to be able to look at it objectively.

Woah, hold on there, I haven't seen anyone implying anything 'seismic' about it It's not like the destruction of the Berlin wall or anything The argument is simply that it has made an impression, across cultures and culturally, whether we like it or not.

 

[Maglor]

Only because of the now 10 nominations. If it was still 5, District 9 would not have made the cut.

Maybe so maybe not.


Do you think it's likely that Matrix would have been nominated for best picture if there were 10 nominations that year. I'm not so sure. It did introduce new tech, and had a great story, but it was still a pretty 'down the line' sci-fi film.